MyHouse.wad

[OceanMadman]

7 minutes ago, Somniac said:

I'm still not entirely sure what just happened, but it hit me about as hard (harder, actually) as Grove did the first time round and it got pretty emotional. 

 

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Which is to say, I didn't notice that I had stopped fighting back tears during one particular segment. The build-up to that started normal, then got increasingly

unsettling, before throwing me straight into ruin, decay...."ruined memories". Fuck. That felt as metaphorical as it did literal and I was white-knuckled the entire time. My skin was crawling and I was firing the shotgun in true anger. The immersion factor was extreme here. 

 

(The wiki page tells me I went into an optional area, I feel like I wound up there by accident tbh)

 

I made it to a certain point before a certain large creature bit my head off, and I did feel a bit lost at a few moments.

Seems like I wasn't even close to seeing the full thing either. Just wasn't really feeling like pushing it further at that point. However the sudden ramp down from something very tragic and haunting to something calmer, but drenched in abstract surreal melancholy, was not only very well done, but has assured that I at least won't spend the rest of today feeling like an emotional mess, so thanks =p though I have to say it'll be a little while before I'm feeling entirely myself again. If that's the goal of this map, the hammer met the nail with the perfect balance of subtlety and blunt force. 

 

Been a while since something for Doom had this kind of effect on me. Thanks for reminding me that it is still possible. 

YES. However I still find Grove more magical and beautiful.

 

 

Spoiler

Not sure if anyone else noticed it, but when using one of the phones outside the gas station it makes the sound of something lowering. No idea of what it does...

 

I've also been wondering, how much of the story is real? Did Tom actually exist? Is it only to make everything creepier...?

 

[ChaosSmurf]

What the hell are we gonna recommend in the Cacowards thread for the rest of the year after this

[TJG1289]

5 hours ago, FishyClockwork said:

Spoiler

 

When you finish the bloody bathroom segment and get the full pill bottle, I noticed the bathroom signs get swapped. The men's bathroom is now marked as the women's bathroom, and the women's is now marked as the men's bathroom.

What's the symbolism behind that?

 

 

 

Spoiler

This may help with my theory a bit. I was wondering if Steve and Tom were in a relationship, but I was trying to think of what the bathroom segment would mean if that was the case. Then, when I was trying to sleep, I remembered the heart on the tree in the gas station area said "S+A". Well Tom's last name starts with A, but why would they carve an A instead of a T if Steve used his first initial? So I began to wonder if maybe Tom is trans. Those pills in the bathroom could be used for transitioning, and there would most likely be a name change when doing so. I wasn't so sure about that theory, but then you noticed the bathroom signs got swapped. Now I think that theory has a little more weight to it. Another fork in that theory could be that Steve is trans, since this whole WAD seems to be from his perspective, and a lot of the nightmares he talks about in the Google Drive journal have representations in the WAD, including a nightmare on an airplane. But I kinda think those nightmares are part of the same force that was compelling Steve to finish the map, so if we're going that route, those nightmares could be the experience of someone else, most likely Tom. I think they're actual experiences just because of how vivid they are as nightmares to Steve. I wonder what other small details like swapping bathroom signs we haven't found yet?

 

One last thing I want to mention is something I just realized while rereading the journal. There's a part where Steve mentions the dream of being on a beach for all eternity. This obviously mirrors the end of the WAD, but I noticed that this dream Steve is joyless and empty, and then he says this:

 

"Somewhere, in another dream, the version of myself that winked back is sitting on the real beach, happy and content, knowing life is finite, there is no afterlife, and happiness is found in the small things around us that we can control. Happiness has to be fought for."

 

This Steve from the journal is the mirror Steve, the one from the bad beach end with the black screen ending. So how does the good end beach with the dog happen for him? Can it happen in the IRL parts of this story? Are we as players guiding Steve there? 

 

Man, I was not expecting to think so much about this WAD's overarching story. This is so well done. Enough stuff has been left purposefully open to interpretation that it just sits in you, constantly getting your brain to turn, trying to fit all the puzzle pieces together. I haven't thought this much about trying to understand a Doom WAD story since Winter's Fury.

 

[roadworx]

congrats op, you managed to unearth some rather unpleasant fears and memories as well as nearly give me an anxiety attack with a map that has d_runnin as its music. lmfao

 

srsly tho, good work. this is a genuine work of art; it made me feel things that i never thought i'd feel by playing a doom wad, or even a game in general. sure, there's stuff out there that'll make me a bit nervous or creeped out, but...nothing like this.

 

personal bullshit and spoilers below:

this is probably gonna sound pretentious and like i'm overblowing how much this affected me, but i really don't give a rat's ass. this did some shit to me, and i need to talk about it, even though i'll regret it the moment i press "submit reply".

the part where the house suddenly loses all of its doors and keeps changing in minor ways while d_runnin becomes more and more distorted just...really fucked with me in a way that nothing else has. i'm not gonna get into specifics, but it brought some stuff that i've been dealing with for the past several years to the surface, and kinda put what it can be like at times into words (or map design, i suppose). tbh, if i had taken a bit longer to figure out what to do - it took about five or ten minutes for me to finally realize that i needed to move the bookcase - i probably would've had an emotional episode. despite it ending, however, the sense of overwhelming dread and impending doom that it gave me lingered on throughout the entire playthrough. it was honestly kind of terrible!

so, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. that may sound weird after just having described something extremely negative, but getting to experience something that affects me on such a deeply profound level is incredibly rare. it takes a lot for a piece of media do that. you, and those who helped you bring this work of art to fruition, have seriously made a masterpiece.

[hakros]

I am deeply sorry for the loss of your friend. Losing someone close to you is a painful and difficult experience to go through, but I hope you find comfort in the shared memories and the love and support of those around you during this difficult time.

 

Regarding your tribute, I must say that it is a conceptually wonderful piece. Your map is an impressive creation. It reminds me of modern games like Layers Of Fear and Stanley Parable and other similar games in its focus on narrative and immersive experience. It is evident that you put your heart and soul into designing the map.

 

Thanks so much for share it with us.

Edited March 12, 2023 by hakros

[EggMaster19000]

Spoiler

I can't seem to get the chainsaw in the crate for some reason and i think thats why i can't progress to the next house, the megasphere wont spawn. I'm using the newest version of gzdoom so I have no idea why it wont spawn, i have all kills and keys.

 

[Not Jabba]

8 minutes ago, EggMaster19000 said:

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I can't seem to get the chainsaw in the crate for some reason and i think thats why i can't progress to the next house, the megasphere wont spawn. I'm using the newest version of gzdoom so I have no idea why it wont spawn, i have all kills and keys.

 

Spoiler

You don't need the chainsaw to progress. If you already have all six keys, you missed your chance to get it. The Megasphere isn't in this part of the map at all. If you're talking about the Soulsphere, you can't get it.

 

Don't overthink it. Just experience it. If you're playing for the first time and you're using a walkthrough, stop doing that.

 

Edited March 12, 2023 by Not Jabba

[General Rainbow Bacon]

This is one of the best maps I've ever played.  

Spoiler

 I'm trying to figure out what you have to do to get the passage to the giant maze to open.  Anyone figure it out?

 

[Astro X]

Am I the dumbest Doom player ever? First, I had to cheat because there was not enough ammo in the house to deal with the creatures. Then, a two-headed monster dog appeared. How amazing. After that, I couldn't manage to make any progress. Finally, I fell from the building and got stuck in a loop of stairs. I know the map is good and different and all that. But when you have to cheat to have a little bit of room for fun, and even worse, when you cheat and still don't have fun, well, maybe that map needs some adjustments. Just my opinion. I'd love to play a version for low IQ/skill issue players.

[TheShep]

I'll say this: this map provided me with some Doki Doki Lit Club vibes. I'll let you play and find out.

 

Otherwise, it's hard to say much else without spoiler tags everywhere. I knew I had to try this for myself.

 

Very solid! And big wow!

[KeaganDunn]

Holy shit.

 

Take care, Veddge.

[Bri]

Man, what a trip! I didn't expect any of this. I like how you notice odd little things changing as you're playing, and it kinda makes you double take for a second, then you go off down the rabbit hole.... This is in a whole league of its own. Really great stuff!

[msx2plus]

you've woven a wonderful tale with this project. really and truly excellent. the great aspects of this overshadow any amount of jank to such a degree that any of my technical critiques are meaningless.

 

i hope in the future we can hear from you more candidly. this toys with the crossing paths of fact and fiction in such an interesting way. in the mean time, take care, and thank you for sharing.

Edited March 13, 2023 by msx2plus

[lunchlunch]

Mostly pretty cool, didn't expect it to be so spooky. I tend to enjoy this genre of DOOM (ie. The Ana's Dream, The Thing You Can't Defeat, The Sky May Be, etc.) though I've seen enough of it now that simply wandering through empty labyrinthine corridors has lost some of its magic. Thankfully yours has some extra surprises in store to keep a veteran of avant-garde DOOM entertained and even on his toes. 

 

I will say that after finishing this map I feel quite dizzy, even physically ill. Whether that's a compliment or not is up to you.

Edited March 13, 2023 by lunchlunch

[Fernito]

9 hours ago, EggMaster19000 said:

  Hide contents

I can't seem to get the chainsaw in the crate for some reason and i think thats why i can't progress to the next house, the megasphere wont spawn. I'm using the newest version of gzdoom so I have no idea why it wont spawn, i have all kills and keys.

 

I think you might be playing myhouse.wad. You should play myhouse.pk3 instead.

[hakros]

Yeah the pk3 version is the version !!

Edited March 13, 2023 by hakros

[Catpho]

There used to be little confusion about versions as the drive link was originally only the .pk3, but Veddge updated it at some point to contain both a .wad and a .pk3, so the thread title might be a bit misleading now.

[Klear]

5 minutes ago, Catpho said:

so the thread title might be a bit misleading now.

 

To be fair, the whole thread is "a bit misleading". Especially all the spoilers suggesting there's something insidious behind this when it's just a very simple map of someone's house.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Klear

[Catpho]

Hah, yeah. Some of the content here is so obscure that banging your head in a file that contains none of the content promised by forum-goers in this thread might mirror the experience of actually playing the thing :P

 

Edit: actually, pursuing the "lore" found in the drive link should explain things somewhat

Edited March 13, 2023 by Catpho

[Jimmy]

If you're one of the ones still dubious about this map at all, I can promise you it's worth digging into and seeing how far down the rabbit hole you can go.

 

The Google Drive link in the OP does contain some things worth examining for context, and also pay close attention to the folder structure and how the map's files are presented. Still worth checking it out with zero expectations, though. Go in with as open and curious a mind as possible. It's much more than a 5-minute one-off excursion.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Jimmy

[mancubian_candidate]

I really want to try this but:

Spoiler

I'm a baby with Horror (looks like this could be spooky). On a scale of 1-10, how scary is this? 😂

 

[pavera]

this wad has been on my mind all day, and I dreamed of that house last night. I keep finding myself drawn back to it -- I don't want to leave.

[Fernito]

30 minutes ago, mancubian_candidate said:

I really want to try this but:

  Reveal hidden contents

I'm a baby with Horror (looks like this could be spooky). On a scale of 1-10, how scary is this? 😂

 

Spoiler

I wouldn't call it scary (though it does have some spooky moments). I'd rather say it's an emotional rollercoaster, it can even be a little bit distressing at some points if you somehow relate with some of the stuff that happens. I dunno, it's really difficult to explain, you have just to experience it yourself :)

 

[DynamiteKaitorn]

Placed inside a spoiler in case you wish to see the map for yourself and don't want ANY spoilers!

Spoiler

So I basically jumped into this completely blind for fun and came across what I'm guessing is 4 endings?

 

Frist one I didn't see all the way through where-in I died but ended up in a hospital bed. Not sure if anything actually happens or if it just fades to back after hearing the pulse machine thing go BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

 

Second and third was me leaving the house in both the regular and reversed worlds. If you DO leave in the reversed world then AFAIK the rest of DooM II plays out but with the maps flipped and sounds reversed. Cool idea for a challenge.

 

And the final one was one HELL of a rabbit hole! From the regular house, to a reversed house, to the regular house constantly shifting as I progress, to suddenly jumping down into a nursery and having to fight Shrek, to the house burnt down, to the back rooms, to an AIRPORT, to boarding a plane and then ending up in just a simply abandoned house that was eventually sold. Not gonna lie that was one hell of an adventure! As soon as I got to the airport I started laughing a little as I love the sudden whiplash in tone and was a very welcome change as the map was getting more and more frightening for me. (I suck majorly at handing horror).

 

What really got me confused was at one point my weapons animations suddenly went smooth out of nowhere and I didn't notice is straight away. I was quite impressed you managed to pull such a trick off without me noticing! If anyone wants to know how you're meant to enter the whole cluster-truck in the first place, to my knowledge you're meant to circle the house? Not sure how it works but if there's a flower painting above the couch, you're in!

 

JESUS this must have been difficult to create and MAD props for making one hell of a cluster-truck of a map! O_O Even if it lacked the insanity I'd still praise this map to kingdom come as the DooM cute is phenomenal! Low key if this PK3 fails to win a Cacoward I'll be a bit depressed.

 

[mancubian_candidate]

20 minutes ago, Fernito said:

  Reveal hidden contents

I wouldn't call it scary (though it does have some spooky moments). I'd rather say it's an emotional rollercoaster, it can even be a little bit distressing at some points if you somehow relate with some of the stuff that happens. I dunno, it's really difficult to explain, you have just to experience it yourself :)

 

 

Awesome, thank you!

[Mr. Alexander]

hahaha oh my god dude, I thought everyone was just having a laugh for some reason, despite the long load time in GZDoom. What a trip.

 

Spoiler

Not a fan of just doing the House of Leaves bit in Journal.docx. The weirdness of the supplementary files made me dig a little deeper than just exiting with the blue keycard.

 

[Klear]

Spoiler

Funnily enough even though I would be quite content having found the normal exit, the blue key was the only one I didn't come across when I played. I thought there was no blue key forcing you into the weirdness until reading some of the comments here...

 

[Astro X]

We need a walkthrough here for this map. At least I do. Too much stuff going on and I wanted to experience it. Like all areas and how to unlock them, keys, weapons, etc.

[Klear]

4 minutes ago, Astro X said:

We need a walkthrough here for this map. At least I do. Too much stuff going on and I wanted to experience it. Like all areas and how to unlock them, keys, weapons, etc.

 

Just go around the house, get the blue card in the laundry room and exit. There's a few extra details here:

 

https://doomwiki.org/wiki/My_House

[hakros]

On 3/4/2023 at 1:51 AM, Kevansevans said:

Glad to see this finally released, thanks for having me on board. I'm still in love with all the details.

 

Though, problem, (and sorry for posting this here, you don't seem to be online on Discord), I could have sworn this door was asking for a blue keycard, but I think you accidentally left this on blue skull. It's a mistake I've seen a few times when new mappers convert to UDMF, so I don't blame you.

It seems to me that @Veddge knows more about UDMF than he seems... :-D !!

Edited March 13, 2023 by hakros